Crash Course

For those of you who are wondering, yes, everyone is okay. No one was injured in my quite stupid car incident. Dan says it's not an accident because no one was hurt...not sure what the logic is behind that but he says that it makes it dramatic to say "I was in an accident." All I know is, two bumpers are busted (one belonging to a nice fellow who was just minding his beeswax at the post office), one pocketbook is being stretched, and one gal's pride has been bruised. Ouch.

Quite Ellyquent, Part 15

After I mashed the bumper by backing into someone at the post office:

"You gotta hug people after you bonk into their cars."

Edenisms, Part 27

On Household Division of Labor

"You're job is the housekeeping girl...and Daddy's job is to lead the family. Like what we're going to eat and how we get to church."

Men and Women Are Different

Shadley: I saw Darin today on his motorcycle. Without a helmet. Why doesn't he wear a helmet?
Dan: Because helmets aren't cool!
Shadley: Brain matter on the highway is not cool either.
Dan: Actually, that is cool.

Flashback Friday

This is Elly last year about this time, right after a terrible bout of Croup and a double ear infection. She's definitely got some more meat on her bones now!!

Photo Catch-Up

I've got these backwards, but this is the girls at the Fossil Gorge last weekend. Dan took them so I could get some sleep- though due to the wondrous effects of Zyrtec D, I had none :) Elly wasn't feeling great either, but she liked getting some fresh air. Eden always loves the fossil gorge and feels like she is a great explorer when she is there. She took her tablet and drew.


Marcus at our house last Saturday night. Brynn and Will watched our kids while we attended a church membership class from 8-2pm, then we swapped and watch Marcus while they went to CR. Great free babysitting for all! Marcus loves stacking the blocks and was quite good at making towers! He is very careful by nature.

Disney on Ice! Family Fun Night

Last night, we took the kids to the show Disney on Ice for their joint b'day present. It was really fun! The girls loved it and were captivated the whole time (or maybe it was shear exhaustion?). We had great seats and got to see Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Donald, Buzz Lightyear, The Pirates of the Caribbean, The Incredibles, Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, Snow White, and lots of others.

The girls got to buy Disney tatoos at the Chinese restaurant because we thought that was pretty appropriate.

The look on Dan's face after we paid the hefty bill for our "throw caution to the wind and eat where we want to" meal. Though things were looking up when we paid only $3.39 per gallon for gas. That just seems ridiculous that that is a "good" price...

Not sure what this look is all about, but we got it alot last night.


Elly decided Momma's lap was better than her seat, especially after the "bombs" exploded on the pirate ship! They yelled, "Fire!" as in canons, and she yelled "FIRE!!"

The cast of characters.



This is suppose to be Disneyland.


Frozone! My favorite.

Weird monkey guys from the Jungle Book- Kim, you might not want to take Taylor to this! They are scarier than Ronald!u

It's a Small World

INCREDIBLES!

Finale!

Emily Ward, this is especially for you...

Eden's List of Qualities She'll Look for in a Husband

1. Gentle and caring
2. Wants to have kids
3. Doesn't say words that make the kids say naughty words
4. Encouraging
5. Wants to play outside with the kids
6. Wants to make lunch
7. Picks up the girls from school
8. Wants to help me plant a garden
9. Wants to drive the car
10. Loves God
11. Wants to lead the family

When I read it back to her, she said, "Perfect! Send that to my new husband when I get one! And if he doesn't do that stuff, he better be learnin'!"

Funny Elly

I think I have blogged before about Elly's gift of messing up her words. Passed down from generation to generation...Dorothy and Diane, you know what I'm talking about?

Elly says some pretty hilarious things!! Here they are:

1. "London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down. Take the key and knock her up."

2. "Can I take some ex-ray crackers with me?" (extra)

3. "Mom, will you sing "Violent Night" again?"

Elly and Marcus, with a Special Message to Grammy and Papa...

Elly and Marcus (the couslings- a term I ripped off from someone else in the blogosphere) played together today. Though we were all sickies, we thought since we all have the same nastiness we might as well make a party of it. So here is their message to the Beloved Grammy and Papa. Notice how Marcus says "computer." I love it!

Many Meanings of Mikiyas!

Today I was online and found a site that said Mikiyas is the same as Micah. So now I am not so sure what it is! So far we've been told that it could be Michael, Malachi or Micah. Either way, I think it is a beautiful name for our beautiful child :)

Feelin' a Bit Better...

So we are on track to feeling better...little by little less Vicks is being rubbed on and fewer Kleenex can be found scattered 'round. These, my friends, are signs of wellness. Or at least, less sickness. Elly and I are still hackin' up a lung, but Eden seems good. I have Dan chugging that weird AirBorne stuff with echinachea and vitamins trying to ward this off. It is not good I tell you. Both the sickness and the nasty herbal remedy.

Today when I dropped Eden off at school, I could just see her light up as she walked toward her friends. She is such a doll. She just has such a joy about her. I am thrilled that she likes school because I myself would much rather let her sleep in and stay here with mommy til she's 30! Did I just say that outloud? [sheepish grin]

Eden's Prayer Tonight.

"God, is there cheese up there, because I really love cheese. What do you eat up there? Oh, you just aren't hungry."

Yuck.

Today, we (Dan, the kids, and me) stayed home from church because Elly and I have a lovely, lovely virus. Actually, Elly was in the ER last night for a breathing treatment and a steroid shot. We like to start the cold and flu season off with a bang! She is doing much better with the steroid now. Last night she was really struggling to breathe and had her characteristic croup-y cough that she fights every times she gets an URI. We tried the hot steamy bathroom thing twice to no avail, so we finally decided Dan had better take her in. Anyway, we have filled her script for some oral prednisolone and she should be on the mend soon. Eden had this same virus but just didn't struggle with breathing like our little asthmatic does :) I am feeling like microwaved death (that's for Brynn) but you know I'm tough and I can take it! The worst part is that I am blowing my nose ring out (you were right, Mom :). Last night I stuffed wads of toilet paper in my nose so I wouldn't have to keep getting up and blowing it...I was hacking and sneezing and coughing all over...it's times like those that I am glad Dan and I are very comfortable in our marriage! Let's just say it wasn't pretty. Today he bought me some of the real deal sudafed stuff (the kind you have to get behind the counter) and a giant Route 44 Sonic Diet Coke with Vanilla. Just what the doctor ordered. He's my sweetie.

Sneakity Peekity

Here's a little sneak peek of our boy! He was wearing blue this time!! A cute little blue and green striped shirt over a blue jumper with a raccoon on it! SOOOO sweet. Better than the pink jammies with the strawberry, though he was rockin' that romper too. :)

Yay!

Today the sweet Ten Hakens sent us new pictures of our sweetie boy Jaren M.! They just got back from picking up their daughter, Ruby, who was in the same orphanage as Jaren is. So, knowing how hard it is to wait, Kelli T. snapped some pics for us and sent them today!!!!

He is looking soooo sweet. I was afraid he'd changed a lot, but actually, he looked smaller. We got several pics with him looking right into the camera and also one of the crib where he sleeps. It is so nice to have some more pictures of him! What a precious gift. Thanks Kelli and Mark!!!!

Paci Babies Beware

Ok, so you know that Elly was a serious pacifier addict until a couple of months ago. Well...just so you all know...we have conclusive evidence that the nuk was doing MUCHO damage on her teeth! In the 3 (?) months she has been nukieless, her teeth have moved to a more normal alignment and her "open bite" has closed completely. Completely. I had heard from different people that nuks were ok, it was thumbs that were bad, or that it was not going to damage her teeth as long as she only used it at night and got rid of it by 4ish, and that open bites were just genetic. Well, not so much! She must have been sucking that thing like there was no tomorrow! Now, I am not saying you shouldn't use them at all, but maybe get rid of them if you see their teeth getting all Stitchish. Just my $.02 from Lessons Learned.

See the gap in her teeth even when she closed her jaw...

She could put a straw in it!

And now...voila! Closed.

Check out that smile!

Flashback Friday

Dan's "sitcom" photograph taken by Dan's dad David, c. 1982

Clothcapades, Part 2

Today I went bargain-hunting again and scored these cuteriffic AIOs (all-in-ones)! They are basically just like disposable diapers, in that you just stick the baby in and velcro it on, though of course, they are NOT disposable. I bought them used from a gal in IC who CDs her 14 month old son. I scored a sage and brown Chunky Monkey custom diaper (heavy wetter style- good for overnight), and two Drybees all-in-ones. They are in VERY good condition and have been well cared for. The gal was sweet enough to show me her "stash" and train me a little about CD. All the cloth families I have talked to have been extremely helpful in showing me the ropes! It's a really neat community.

All-in-ones are a bit pricier, so these cost me $10 a pop. That brings the running total to....

$80 Total spent on CD

Elly is Such a Rocker Chick.

Two More New Paintings...

Check out the new work at shadleygrimes.com! There are two more paintings that I just finished last night.

Here's a sneak peek:

Clothcapades, Part 1

Well, if you didn't know already, we are *attempting* cloth diapers with Jaren! Today, I scored a VERY good deal on some cloth diapering (CD) supplies. I got six Bummis Super Whisper Wraps, four prints and two white, and thirty-six unbleached cotton prefold diapers for...drumroll please...$50! I have been stalking these covers online on Craigslist (surprised?) and they are selling for quite a bit more than this even used, there and on Ebay. The nice lady even threw in her diaper pail for free, after knocking off $25 from the asking price! Cha-ching. I will still need to buy some more things (All-in-ones, snappis, a diaper pail liner, detergent, and larger sized diapers) especially after I see how big Jaren is and how he fits into things, but it is nice to be able to start somewhere and with a relatively low investment. I plan on keeping track on the amount I am spending on CD so that I can tell if it really is a cheaper option. The total will be running in the sidebar. If anyone is interested in CD, let me know. I am BY NO MEANS an expert. I have just started learning myself! We can learn together :)

So, as of today...

$50 TOTAL

My Hubby, My Hero

Today Dan wooed me with an awesome display of his manliness. Ok, before your imaginations get the best of you, allow me to explain :)

A week and one day ago, I took Elly out in the pouring rain to have one of my prints framed at Michaels. Every time I have been there, there has been a framing sale going on. But of course this day, there is not a sale. Bummer. But it was pouring, I had a wiley three year old, and I was not about to take this priceless piece of art (well, that might be stretching it a bit) back out into the rain. So I went ahead and placed the order to have it framed. The man who took the order was gruff and grouchy and had one of those "I'm too cool for school" attitudes. I was not impressed. After he added up the total for the framing, he rang it up and said, "$190.00" Gulp. I knew it would be sort of a lot but not that much! I bit the bullet and paid it and left.

Today, as I was searching the web to find the phone number to Michaels, I stumbled upon a COUPON for 60% OFF the ENTIRE CUSTOM FRAME ORDER starting Sept. 11. Now can I remind you that I placed the order on SEPTEMBER 9th!!!! UUUUUG. So I called Mr. Grumpy Pants and he told me the order was NOT ready and that it was not "due" til next week, and basically shut down my conversation. I usually am not the back down type, but this guy has a seriously bad attitude. Anyway so I hung up the phone and told Dan the story. He said, "You want me to fight this one for you?" Now, Dan is a sweet and awesome hubby and father, but confrontational, he is not. But I stood back and watched him ride in on his white steed (the white cordless phone), wielding his shining sword (the Mac) and called the store manager and asked her to please give his wife the coupon. After a minute on hold, she came back on and told us that usually they only do that within a week of the purchase, and she apologized for the Rudy Ruderton working in the frame department, and then told him he had a deal! YAY! He hung up, wiped the sweat from his brow, the horse whinied and rared up, and he road off into the sunset (or at least to Centro).

I love you honey! You're my knight in shining Dockers :)

Quite Ellyquent, Part 14

Today in the van, Elly was getting carried away trying to be funny and said, "I'm gonna throw up in my eyeballs!" I said, "Elly, that language is not acceptable." She said, emphatically, "Yeah, but it's FUNNY!"

Sometimes I think I've met my match with these two!

Quite Ellyquent, Part 13

Today Elly and I were looking and blogs and there was a picture of a family posing with a rhinoceros sculpture. Elly said, "Look! They're riding a dead dinosaur!" Knowing Elly's morbid death obsession, I said, "No, actually that's a sculpture." Not missing a beat, Elly replied, "They're riding on a dead sculpture!"


Then later we were driving to the U to participate in a speech and hearing study (about "be" verbs). Elly asked where we were going and I said, "We're going to help big kids at college learn." She immediately started to cry, "I don't want to go to college! I don't want to go to college!" Then during the study, I could hear her in with the researcher. She did a great job answering the questions but the 20ish student could not keep her focused! It was actually quite funny to listen to! She would get her to answer one question by saying, "What is the bear doing?" Elly would answer, "The bear is making a cake, see he has sharp teeth! See his sharp teeth? Alligators have sharp teeth! We saw alligators at the zoo! I wanna play play-doh!" It was fun to see someone else struggle to keep my daughter's attention :)

We're in trouble...big time.

Flashback Friday

Eden and her BFF Callie when they were two!

Small Update and FAQs

We found out yesterday that our approval has been received in Addis (actually in Feb.) so I think that means that the Embassy has all they need to approve Jaren's Visa (except that court documents, that is). So, now we are waiting to hear when our court date is. I don't expect to hear anything until after Oct. 6th, when the courts reopen in Ethiopia. They have been closed due to the rainy season there.

We also found out yesterday that one of the SWs from Bethany IA will be traveling with us! She is a young gal, married, no kiddos, and we met her once at the informational meeting. I think I have spoken with her on the phone too. She is not our SW, but nevertheless, I think it will be fun to travel with her. I am hoping she can hold our video camera when we meet Jaren for the first time!!

So, lots of people have been asking me the same questions about what the next steps are, etc.. So I thought I would post the answers just in case you were wondering too!!

1. When do you go get him?
We are expected to travel in November. First, we must pass court. Our Bethany director in Ethiopia will go to court on our behalf and then if we pass, we will be invited to travel within a few weeks of that, barring any unforeseeable circumstances.

2. Will the girls go with you? Do you need childcare for them?
No, my parents (Grammy and Papa) will be coming up here to stay with the kids so that Eden can continue to go to school as usual. If the trip happens to coincide with Thanksgiving, we will probably have them take the kids to their house so they don't miss out on their plans. That is the same weekend as the event that my sister Tiel has been planning at our church we grew up in. It would be a shame to miss that event but I don't think I will turn down a chance to go get my son! Sorry Tiel! Hope it doesn't come at the same time, but who am I kidding? This is us.

3. Do you know what happened to Jaren's parents?
We were given a small amount of information on Jaren's first parents and why he was placed for adoption. We have chosen to keep that information private because we believe that one day he might want to know that information and he might choose not to tell others. There is nothing shameful or wrong with his story, we just want it to be his story to tell. We definitely are going to be open with him about how he came to us, don't get me wrong (I think he's gonna figure it out :), but we want him to feel like he has some ownership over his life story and not that we all know this and then one day he finds out what we have all known for years. I hope that makes sense!

4. Do you need any...
Clothes? no, I don't think so, since we just got a box of Marcus' adorable threads! Nice!
Diapers? We will be using disposables in Ethiopia, but once we are home I am planning on using cloth diapers and wipes to save some green and be a little more green. If you know of anyone selling Chinese prefold diapers (used, in good condition) and Thirsties or other brand diaper cover, please let me know! I would really like to try these first without making a big commitment money wise.
Donations for the orphanage? We are not going to take a ton of stuff, though we might take one duffle bag with small trinkets (pencils, erasers, small toys, balls, etc.) for the older kids at the orphanage and then buy some baby supplies to donate while we are in Ethiopia. If you'd like to be a part of that, let me know at grimesfam@gmail.com. We will not be taking a ton of clothes to donate, though we might take some if we can fit it in. We've been told that we are encouraged to bring money and shop for donations while we're there. If anyone has any good ideas of something we can bring as a gift to the nannies who have cared for Jaren, please let me know. I would love to give them something special but of course we have money constraints, so I'll have to be creative!

5. Is Jaren healthy?
We've been given his medical test results and he is said to be in VERY good health. Praise God! Of course, he will have his ups and downs, and he might even have undetected things, but praise God that he is growing well and looks very alert and healthy. We actually surprised at how healthy he looked in the referral photo.

6. Will you be using formula with him?
Yes, we will hopefully be able to purchase some of the brand of infant formula they are currently using with him while we are in Addis and then once home we will transition him slowly by increments to the new American formula.

Any more questions any one wants to ask? Feel free.

Sweet Blessings!

Someone who just traveled to China using our agency donated a Hip Panda baby carrier to us to use in Ethiopia! How nice was that? We don't know this couple at all. I think it might be just what we're going to need when we travel, and it saves us some moo-lah too! Thanks, random people!!

New Painting!

Fresh from the studio, this little beauty came from years (and I'm not kidding) of staring at this one photo I dumpster dove for once when I worked at UIHC. Yes, I know, dumpster diving at UIHC might NOT be a great thing to do, but when you see inspiration being thrown away you go after it.

Check it out on shadleygrimes.com for pricing information.

First Permanent Tooth!

Yikes! It seems that the ole endocrine system is workin' in overdrive on my dear Eden. She is changing and growing SO much these days. She is becoming quite the lady.

Here is a pic of her permanent tooth coming in behind her baby teeth on the bottom. We gotta get to wiggling those baby teeth!!

This is lovingly titled, "Sister Mary Eden."

Kindergarten Update!

Eden is doing great in kindergarten. She has made some friends and is learning the social ropes. She comes home each day and announces what she had for lunch and if anyone picked on anyone else that day and who stood up for who.

Today she told me she had a tooth growing in behind another tooth. I took this to mean her molar was coming in, which it is, so I said, "I know honey." Then Dan took one look at her and was like, WHOA! So I looked and there it was--a permanent tooth growing up behind the two bottom middle baby teeth. Oh, Lord help us, if Eden inherits my goofy tooth phase! I literally had teeth pointing every which way and there were way too many of them for my tiny mouth! Her front bottom teeth are a little loose right now so hopefully they will fall out soon and not crowd this new pearly. She is quite proud of the tooth and is showing everyone who will listen for a second.

Elly's newest name for Jaren:

Jagen

The Girls See Jaren for the First Time...